This invention relates generally to bags or packages made of flexible material, and more particularly to packages of this type which include a pouch for containing material therein and a selectively openable and closable passageway through which the material can be discharged from the package.
Packages made from flexible mono-layer or multi-layer film, such as polyethylene, nylon or polyester, are made in a wide-variety of forms that are designed to best contain a particular material, and to also permit the material to be easily and conveniently discharged when desired.
In some cases, the nature of the material being packaged make it very desirable to provide the package with a reduced width adjacent the discharge opening of the package so as to provide the package with a spout through which the material can be more easily discharged or poured.
A typical package of this type is disclosed in Tobolka U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,065. However, because conventional package making equipment and methods generally do not make it economically feasible to attach a selectively openable closure device, such as a zipper-type closure strip, across only a portion of the discharge edge of the bag, it has not heretofore been known to make a package with a reduced discharge spout, and a closure strip extending across just the spout portion in the bag.
Additionally, bags which are designed to have spouts frequently contain liquids and other relatively heavy materials, and it is, therefore, desirable to provide the package with a handle so that it can be easily carried.
In general, the easiest and least expensive way to provide a plastic package with a handle is to simply punch an opening through the side walls of the package through which the fingers of the hand can be inserted through the opening to carry the bag. However, punching a hole in the side walls of the package adversely affects the structural integrity of the thin plastic material from which the package is made and this problem is exacerbated when the material contained by the package is relatively heavy.
In accordance with the present invention, a package is provided which is formed with a convenient discharge spout while at the same time having a closure strip for selectively opening and closing the spout, and the package is provided with a reinforced handle portion that is easy to produce and strong enough to permit the package to carry relatively heavy materials.
The present invention provides a flexible package for containing material, and permitting the material to be discharged therefrom. The package includes two layers or two sheets of flexible material joined together at side portions to form a pouch portion for containing the material, and having one edge portion through which the material can be discharged. A reinforced portion is disposed adjacent the one edge portion at which the two sheets of flexible material are sealed together over a predetermined area, and the reinforced portion is spaced from one of the sealed side portions to provide a material discharge passageway. A handle opening is formed in the reinforced portion, and an elongated fastening strip extends across the two sheets of material adjacent the one edge portion. This elongated fastening strip includes a first portion extending across the material discharge passageway and being selectively openable and closeable to open and close the passageway, and a second non-openable portion extending across the reinforced portion adjacent the handle opening and between the handle opening in the one edge portion to provide additional reinforcement at the handle opening.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the handle opening is provided with a flap of flexible material disposed within the handle opening and attached to one of the flexible sheets by a hinged connection so that the flap is moveable out of the opening about the hinged connection to provide a more comfortable surface for contact with a hand extending through the handle opening. A small breakaway tab may be provided to extend between the flap and an edge of the handle opening to temporarily hold the flap in place.
Also, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two sheets of flexible material are sealed together at two opposite side portions and include a closed bottom side portion, and the one discharge edge extends between the opposed side portions and parallel to the bottom side portion to form the pouch with a generally rectangular shape.
The present invention also provides a method of making a flexible package for containing material, and this method comprises the steps of continuously moving two webs of flexible material along a predetermined path of movement with the two webs being juxtaposed so that the opposite side edges of the moving webs are located adjacent one another, and continuously depositing an elongated selectively openable fastening strip between the two webs in the direction of travel of the web and sealing the fastening strip to one web at a position adjacent one of the side edges thereof. The method also includes joining together the adjacent portions of the two webs along the other of their side edges to provide a closed bottom side of the flexible package, and sealing the two webs together along seal lines located in spaced parallel relation to one another and extending transverse to the path of movement to provide two opposite side portions for the flexible package. The method also includes the step of crushing a portion of the elongated fastening strip extending between the seal lines to cause such portion to be rendered non-openable, and forming a handle opening extending through the two webs at a position adjacent the crushed portion of the fastening strip and between the fastening strip and the closed bottom side of the flexible package.